I am now going to bottomless bee hives. Just lay screen on the bottom side of a slatted rack and stack on the supers. I make the hive stands out of 4X4s spaced so the hive boxes rest on the stand, in other words, the inside dimensions of the stands are the same as the inside dimensions as the supers. But then I also use top entrances (my old solid bottom boards).

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I don't think it's necessary, it's just one way of approaching the problems associated with ventilation and moisture removal. I've had hives with solids and hives with screens, currently they all have screens. Perhaps you could constuct the hive body with a permanent screen but the capability to slide in a solid bottom if you decide to change later?

Brian D. Bray, I did something similar last year. Hive boxes sitting directly on rails of hive stands. No slatted racks, no screens, no bottoms. They did well. 24/7 there was a cluser of bees to be seen on the underside of the frames, it varied from baseball to softball sized. I actually layed there and watched them a few times, I once saw the cluster "spit" out a wax moth larvae and a bee followed it to the gound and really tore into it! What I found interesting was that the cluster of bees underneath remained as just that, they never built the nest downward, never drew any comb under those frames. I figured with the winter coming I'd better do something to baffle wind so I reinstalled bottom boards, but I intend to try it again this season and make further observations.

I use them because of the removals I do. Extra ventilation on really hot days is a plus when you're dealing with a large stressed colony. Depending on your location they can be good or bad. Bad for extreme colds, good when its very hot and you want extra ventilation, but necessary, I think not. Feral colonies in bldgs and trees don't have sbbs and they do fine.

It's a preference, not a necessity. I have screened bottoms on my hives, but also have a sliding board which allows me to close it during the winter. I think it helps ventilate during the summers here but then feral hives as mentioned are pretty tight.

Half of my Langstroth equipment has SBB on them. I like that they stay dry. I like the added ventilation especially in the heat. I don't think it makes any difference to Varroa except for making it easier to monitor and probably helps make any treatment more effective.

Brian D. Bray, I did something similar last year. Hive boxes sitting directly on rails of hive stands. No slatted racks, no screens, no bottoms. They did well. 24/7 there was a cluser of bees to be seen on the underside of the frames, it varied from baseball to softball sized. I actually layed there and watched them a few times, I once saw the cluster "spit" out a wax moth larvae and a bee followed it to the gound and really tore into it! What I found interesting was that the cluster of bees underneath remained as just that, they never built the nest downward, never drew any comb under those frames. I figured with the winter coming I'd better do something to baffle wind so I reinstalled bottom boards, but I intend to try it again this season and make further observations.

I buiilt my bottomless hive stands to accept a slide in sheet of 1/4 or 3/8 inch plywood with the intent of varroa monitoring. With the SBB I left them open all winter with no ill affects. The slatted racks provide a layer of dead air (thermal barrier) that protects the hive from wind and cold. Wintered 4 of 4 hives and 2 of those were 2 tall 5 frame medium nucs. My hive stands are 2 tiers of 4X4s with 2X2 cross bracing on top of that. The 4X4 stands are now turned so the hives face east and the solid sides of the stand block the southern winds.

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Last year my Husband constructed screened bottomboards for all my colonies. I have switched back to solid bottomboards because I was using the oxalic acid vapourizing for mite death and screened bottomboards wouldn't have worked. I am sticking with the solid only because I am too lazy to switch them back, and I know solid bottomboards are good, easy to keep clean and don't harbour the blasted earwigs like the screened bottomboards do, less place for them to hide. Many use the screened for cooling. Our summers are not so hot here that the bees have a difficult time dealing with heat. Have a wonderful and great day, lovin' this groovy life. Cindi

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There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold. The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold. The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee. Robert Service

Michael, yes, of course, one never knows when one requires something or the other. I have kicked my rear end so many times for being a person that discards stuff far too quickly, thinking I'll never use it again....have a wonderful and awesome day, Cindi

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There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold. The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold. The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee. Robert Service

I bet the excluders would work great as a grill on a fire pit, more use for those queen excluders that I have so many of, hee, hee. Beautiful day in this beautiful life, Cindi

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There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold. The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold. The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee. Robert Service